Musical instrument



1950 J. A. OSWALD MUSIIGAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 2, 1946 23% 61.6. IM 1{far/1g.

Patented Jan. 3, 195% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTJames A. Oswald, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Gentral Commercial Company,Chicago, 111., a corporationof Illinois '6 Claims. 1

Thisinvention-relates to electrical musical instruments employingwaveform generators producingcomplex waveforms of oscillations at thetone frequencies of different notes of a musical scale, and meansresponsive todepression 'of 'selectors for translating said oscillationsinto audible sounds formusical expression.

In .musical instruments :known in'the art as electric and electronic"organs .no provision has heretofore been made :for :grading'theamplitude of pedal "tones relative to .thediflerent stops of one or moremanuals. In such instruments oscillations reflective in an electricalnetwork in response to actuation 'of the pedals and oscillationseffective.inisaid'network inresponse .to acituationof the:playing-keys'of said manuals are all .thereofiimpressed upon theinputcircuitxof a volume or expression-control device of a sound translating"system. In :consequencethereof certain manual stops 'cannot'be balancedor proportionedrelative-to givenpedal stops as is necessary fordiscriminating results. If, for example, amanual stop is drawnfora-:soft'zstring, and a pedal stop is drawn for a fiute,.the latterbeing the heavier ofthe two,'.the"manual tone will be overbalanced'by:theLpedal tone. It is this-overbalancing 'efiectprevalent-ininstruments of the prior art that hassgreatly detracted-from an or-:ganists ability :otherwiseto satisfactorily perform on saidinstruments.

An object .of myinvienticn. is the provision of means for overcoming.the ='aforementioned defects in instruments of the'prior art, whichsaid means is selectively'controlled *from the console -in'a mannerenabling a w-iderrangeof amplitude variations in any pedal tonevvdesired to'be used 'with any manual tone.

Another object is thetprovisiontof" an .intensity 'control'forelectricor electronic organs the true Fcounterpart of which is.ffound :only. inthe :more expensive types'of pipe organs.

.A still fiu'ther'objectxiszthe'provisionof an intensity control forthepedal tonesof an' electric .or electronic .organ which willnot-contribute materially to .the cost ofwproduction .ofthe instru-w,

ment and will berreadilyactuable at the will of the player substantially"in'the same manner as drawing and retiring stops.

A- more specific object/is the provision of an intensity control for thepedals of a pedalzkeycircuit with themanual or manuals of .theinstrument, whereby .when operating said volume control device -tovary'the overall volume a proper balancing of tones-is assured.

Otherobjects will maniiestlyappearupon reference to the followingspecifications anddrawings, in which :the single figure is a schematicview of the essential characterizing features of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, .A, B and C schematically :represent:three pedals of a pedal keyboard. D, E and Frepresent threeplayingkeys-of a singlemanual'of the instrument. Two or moremanualsvcan.of-course be employed with- .out departing-fromthespirit andintention of my invention. The said pedals-areassociated withconsecutive notesv of the chromatic scale and like- .wise is this trueof the manual playing-keys.

Each separate manual playing-key and each separate pedal .iselectrically connected withan individual source of oscillations such asvacuum .tube 10 or its'functional equivalent.

Theie-lectricalnetwork herein disclosed is provided with a conductor Hwhich iscommon to all generators Ill-associated with the aforementionedpedals 'A B and C. A similar-conductor I 2 is common to all generatorsIll-associated with the playing-keysD, Eand F of said manual. Each ofsaid generators I0 is coactivewith an electric switch I3 connected .inapath llwhich, inturn, connects the output of said generator to itsconductor H or 12, as the case may be.

Connected to conductor H is a quality control, "01' Wave filter-System15.to which oscillations from generators 10 associated with pedals, A, BandC are transmitted inzresponse to close circuiting .theircoactive-electricswitches [3, when depress- .ing said pedals. A qualitycontrol system suit- "able. for the purposeof. my invention is disclosed.in U. S. Letters .Patent to ,M. J. Larsen, No.

..2,403,090, ,datediJuly 2, 1940, the vsamehaving means such astheherein disclosed .conductors 14a adapted to be connected in the outputsof respective wave filtersof said system. In substantially the samemanner, output. conductors l1 .cornmonto theplaying-keys of the manualconmeet with a qualitycontrol l6 havingconductors ll from respectivewave filters.

The aforementioned quality controls 15 and it are so formed and designedthat waveforms .of oscillations appearing on each of said conductorsMand similarly on each of said conductors I! difier in their harmoniccomposition "above the fundamental; frequency components of -saidoscillations, the output from any conductor to be used either singly ormixed with the output from any other conductor or conductors. Whenpredetermined waveforms from selected conductors are mixed, theresultant waveform is precalculated to approximate a tone of giventimbre.

Referring now more particularly to the pedal keyboard of the instrument,it is noted that stops l8, l9 and each embody an electric switch 2|which interconnects a collector 22 with given conductors 14a bydecoupling resistances 23 of predetermined values, such that on closecircuiting a selected switch 2|, a mixture of waveforms of oscillationsis impressed on collector 22.

Collector 22 terminates at ground through resistor 25 forming part of amesh 25a, which mesh includes a resistor 26 of 10,000 ohms and aresistor 21 of 50,000 ohms connected across resistor 25 and constitutinga voltage divider. Tapped to resistor 2'! at predetermined points arechannels 28, 29 and 30, each having an electric switch 32. The outputterminal of each of said channels is connected to a conductor 33 whichterminates at the input side of a main volume control 34, such as apotentiometer having an overall resistance of 5,000 ohms connected tothe input of a translating device which includes amplifier 35 and loudspeaker 36.

Stops 31, 38 and 39, similar in kind and purpose to stops l8, l9 and 20,connect given output conductors I! from quality control It to conductor39 by respective electric switches 40, 4! and 42, and, as shown, saidconductor 39 connects with conductor 33 of mesh 25a whereby outputoscillations from said quality control l6 are fed to said potentiometer34.

The generators l0 may be of any well known type. Those disclosed in theaforementioned Larsen patent have been used with the required success asthey produce waveforms of oscillations which are rich in harmonics.

The gist of my invention finds expression in means in an electric orelectronic organ for preventing unpleasant overweighing of toneselicited from the manual keys by tones elicited from the pedals. In themore expensive pipe organs this is accomplished by a pedal organ andassociated swell which is independent of the manuals and their swells.In such case, the loudness of tones elicited from the pedal organ isunder such control of the player that the relative volumes of sound canbe more correctly graded. My inven tion provides for a wide range ofintensity variations in pedal tones regardless of the stop drawn, thusenabling any desired variation in intensity necessary for correctbalancing of tones. It will be borne in mind that waveforms ofoscillations effective in mesh 25a, when close circuiting any selectedstop switch l8, IE3 or 20 will comprise only those harmonics offundamentals that have passed respective wave filters of the qualitycontrol !5 and that by reason of said decoupling resistors 23 betweensaid switch and coactive conductors I ia from said filters, theresultant mixture received at said mesh will consist of a plurality ofwaveforms, the relative amplitudes of which have thus been fixed. Whenan impedance is placed in the path between a stop switch 2| as whenclose circuiting a selected switch 32, the overall volume of the mixtureis either increased or decreased to a predetermined level. Asdistinguished from the modus operandi of mesh 25a, any waveform ofoscillations or mixture of different waveforms of oscillations fromquality control l6 passes unimpeded to main volume control 34. Pedaltones and manual tones are thus correctly proportionedat the instant theoscillations arrive at said main volume control. Therefore, uponexercising prop-- er musical taste in selecting a pedal tone inten-'sity, lack of balance and proportion between pedal and manual tonesheretofore experienced with instruments of the prior art will be avoidedand a balance obtained that will enable a skilled organist correctly tointerpret music as it is intended to be played.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a musical instrument having tone signal generators and at leasttwo separate sets of selectors, an electrical network in which saidgenerators and said selectors are connected for impressing signals fromselected generators on separate paths in said network, translating meansin the output of said network and including a volume control deviceconnected to one of said paths, and means for selectivelyinterconnecting the other of said paths with said volume control deviceby any one of a plurality of channels of respectively differentresistances for determining the am plitude of signals conducted to saidvolume control device from said other path.

2. A musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, and in which saiddifferent resistances are provided by a voltage divider connected acrosssaid other path and said separate channels are tapped thereto atpredetermined points and wherein certain at least of said paths are eachthereof provided with a selectively actuable electric switch.

3. A musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, and in which saiddifferent resistances are provided by a voltage divider connected acrosssaid other path and said channels are each thereof to said voltagedivider at predetermined points and wherein certain, at least of saidchannels are each provided with an electric switch according to which ofsaid channels is desired to be close circuited with said volume controldevice, said sep-' arate paths being common to the outputs of all ofsaid generators.

4-. A musical instrument provided with generators producing complexwaveforms of electrical oscillations at the tone frequencies ofdifferent notes of a musical scale, means for translating said waveformsof oscillations into audible sounds; a keyboard, the playing-keys ofwhich are provided with electric switches interconnecting given ones ofsaid generators with said translating means; a volume control device inthe input circuit of said translating means; means including a conductorinterposed between said volume control device and the switches of saidkeyboard for converting said waveforms of oscillations into waveformscorresponding to tones of any desired timbre; a pedal clavier, theplayingkeys of which are provided with electric switches connectinggiven ones of said generators to means for converting outputoscillations into waveforms corresponding to tones of any desired timbreand for impressing same upon a common conductor; and meansinterconnecting said common conductor with said volume control devicefor selectively varying the amplitude of waveforms of oscillationsimpressed on said volume device in response to actuation of selectedplaying-keys of said pedal clavier.

5. In a musical instrument employing oscillatory circuits producingaudio signals at different tone frequencies; an electroacousticaltranslating system having a volume control device in its input circuit;a manual including means connecting preassigned ones of said oscillatorycircuits to said volume control device for selective transmission ofaudio signals thereto; and a pedal keyboard having means for connectingpreassigned ones of said oscillatory circuits to said volume controldevice by resistive channels for controlling at will the intensity ofaudio signals transmitted to said volume control device in response toactuation of the pedals of said pedal keyboard.

6. An electronic musical instrument employing tone frequency generators,an electro-acoustical translating device, an electrical network andseparate sets of tone selectors connected in said network forselectively close circuiting selected generators with said translatingdevice in response to actuation of any selectors of said separate setsof selectors, said instrument comprising a set of stops for eachseparate set of said selectors for predetermining the quality of toneelicited from said translating device and a resistive meshinterconnecting the stops of one of said sets of se- REFERENCES CITEDThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,896,683 Clark Feb. '7, 19331,991,727 Brimberg Feb. 19, 1935 20 2,285,132 Weathers et a1. June 2,1942 2,429,226 Hanert Oct. 21, 1947

